The present invention generally relates to the art of vaccinating birds, including but not limited to pullets.
More particularly, the invention relates to a rotating bird vaccinating device in the form of a rotating drum or carousel turned by an electric motor and having means, such as shackles, which hold the birds upside down by the legs, in order to present the bird to the vaccinator, where said drum turns before successive fixed stations, including a first station to attach the bird, one or several vaccination stations for the vaccinators, and a releasing station where the bird is released from the drum.
The invention also relates to a method which makes use of the improved device according to the invention.
Presently such kind of pullet vaccinating devices are on public use. These machines comprise a cylindrical drum turning on a vertical shaft and chain driven by an electrical motor connected to a power source.
Such known devices need a trained staff, to attach the pullet, to vaccinate the birds and to release the vaccinated pullets.
Using such machines leads sometime to inaccurate vaccination, for example in the event the drum must be suddenly stopped, which requires one operator to disconnect the power source and there is a risk of vaccinating some birds twice or just omitting to vaccinate them because of the time needed for the drum to stop. Further, the vaccinators cannot know how many birds are vaccinated, unless they try to count the birds.
Some of these known machines have a cylindrical drum surface to which the pullet can be backed on by the vaccinator, which may result in some stress to the animal.
These machines are often cumbersome and are not very practical for the vaccinators who generally have to stand during the whole vaccination sequences.
It is an object of the invention to provide bird vaccinating devices which results in more accurate vaccination of the birds, even if several distinct vaccines are administered.
Another object of the invention is to reduce the stress of the birds during the vaccination step.
Another object is to allow each operator or vaccinator to stop and restart the machine immediately.
Another object is to allow an accurate and simple counting of the vaccinated birds.
Another object is to reduce the staff needed to operate the vaccinating device.
Another object is to speed up the vaccination rate of birds.
Another object is to allow the vaccinators to work in a comfortable position.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, the bird vaccinating device comprises a frame, a drum or carousel rotatable on a vertical axis on this frame, shackle means for attaching birds, and being angularly spaced on said drum, motor means to rotate said drum, to present the bird successively to different operating stations, wherein said drum has a polygonal shape, preferably octagonal, each lateral side of the polygon providing a flat surface, said shackle means protruding from said surface so that an attached bird can be backed on to this flat surface by the vaccinator for proper vaccination.
By providing such a polygonal, preferably octagonal, shape of the drum with flat surfaces, for example vertical plates forming said lateral sides, the pullet can be backed on to a flat surface whereby the stress on the pullet is reduced compared to the stress of being pressed against the usual convex cylindrical surface of a drum.
This octagonal or polygonal shape also allows, if needed, to provide more than one shackle means per lateral side, whereby more than one, for example two pullets can be attached on one lateral side for increasing the rate of vaccination without increasing the rotation speed.
According to another improvement, a bird vaccinating device according to the present invention comprises a frame, a drum or carousel rotatable on a vertical axis on this frame, shackle means for attaching birds, being angularly spaced on said drum, motor means to rotate said drum, to present the birds successively to different operating stations, wherein said drum or carousel is cinematically driven by the motor means through drive disconnecting means able to be actuated by any member of a staff, to immediately stop the drum while the motor continues to run, and to immediately restart the rotation of the drum, if wanted.
This rotation disconnecting means can, for example, comprises clutch means with various clutch control means angularly spaced around the frame to be actuated from each working station.
But, according to a preferred embodiment, this disconnecting means comprises friction means, such as, for example, frictionally mutually engaged discs, whereby the drum can be immediately stopped by an operator grasping the drum and immediately restarted when the operator releases the drum.
This allows to immediately stop the drum by the proper operator if needed and to have it restarted after a short time, without disconnecting the power source. Further once an operator, for example a vaccinator, stops the drum, he keeps the side of the polygon with the relevant pullet in front of him, instead of having the drum continuing to rotate for a short time while he goes to disconnect the power source.
It also prevents risks or injuries if the drum is blocked accidentally.
According to another embodiment of the improved vaccinating device according to the invention, the device comprises a frame, a drum or carousel rotatable on a vertical axis on this frame, shackle means for attaching birds, said shackle means being angularly spaced on said drum, motor means to rotate the drum, to convey a bird successively to different operating stations, wherein said shackle means are responsive to a shackle release means fixed at a precise angular location of the frame to release automatically the bird once the shackle means reaches an angular location corresponding to said shackle releasing means.
In such embodiment there is preferably provided a slide or other receiving and transportation means which gently receives the falling pullet to transport the pullet away from the device.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the bird vaccinating device comprises a frame, a drum or carousel rotatable on a vertical axis on this frame, a shackle means for attaching birds, said shackle means being angularly spaced on said drum, motor means to rotate said drum, to present the bird successively to different operating stations, wherein there is provided a pullet counter which automatically counts the number of pullets released from the shackle. Preferably this counter is a mechanical counter.
In a preferred embodiment, this counter is located either on the frame, at the bird release station, or on the slide or other transportation means for the released bird.